You’ve worked in investment banking and M&A, now you’re on the restructuring side – What skills translate well from one side to the other?
At the junior level, the skill set for both M&A and restructuring is largely execution-oriented: comfortably distilling complex ideas and considerations into easy-to-digest content for your audience (in the form of financial models and presentations), anticipating likely obstacles, understanding the independent standards supporting your client’s position, building consensus among various constituents and stakeholders, etc. Often in restructuring, your client is depending heavily on your advice and the stakes are high for equity holders, creditors, vendors, employees, and other stakeholders. Being thorough, mature, dependable, and humble goes a long way. Taking pride in the accuracy of your work product builds credibility. More importantly, it is imperative to be kind, understanding, and considerate towards members of your team and fellow collaborators.